1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel electronically controlled sample warper, wherein a rotary creel supporting detachably a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound and a bobbin station supporting detachably a plurality of bobbins in a standby state are used, and various kinds of yarns are exchanged according to the preset pattern data (yarn order), so that more kinds of yarns than the conventional ones can be wound on a warper drum, a rotary creel assembly used in the electronically controlled sample warper, and a novel warping method using the rotary creel assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an electronically controlled sample warper which has been used conventionally, there is known a structure as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 1529104, where using a fixed creel supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds (different colors or different twists) and/or the same kind of yarns are wound, the yarns are wound on a warper drum with a yarn introduction means while the yarn exchanging is performed by yarn selection guides according to the preset pattern data (yarn order).
Also, there has been known an electronically controlled sample warper which can warp a plurality of yarns concurrently, wherein time loss required for the yarn exchanging is cancelled and a plurality of yarns can concurrently be wound on a warper drum by using a rotary creel as well as omitting the yarn exchanging step, and further a period of time required for the warping work can be reduced (see Japanese Patent No. 1767706, U.S. Pat. No. 4, 972,662, and EP No. 0375480).
Since the fixed creel has a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns (mainly different kinds of yarns) are wound and it is used for warping the yarns one by one, it is advantageously possible to perform pattern warping, but the yarns are wound on a warper drum one by one, so it takes disadvantageously much time to perform warping work correspondingly. Meanwhile, the rotary creel has a plurality of bobbins around which the same kind and/or different kinds of yarns are wound, and it is used for the plain warping (for example, only red color yarns), and the limited pattern warping, such as one to one warping (for example, repetition of a yarn of red color and a yarn of white color, or repetition of a yarn of S twist and a yarn of Z twist), two to two warping (for example, repetition of two yarns of red color and two yarns of white color, or repetition of two yarns of S twist and two yarns of Z twist). With the rotary creel, it is disadvantageously impossible to perform pattern warping other than the limited pattern warping, but it is advantageously possible to wind a plurality of yarns concurrently on the warper drum so that the warping time is reduced largely.
With the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronically controlled sample warper, a rotary creel assembly, and a warping method wherein, using a rotary creel, it is possible to freely perform the yarn exchanging of various yarns, thereby various pattern warping and reduction of the warping time being realized.
To attain the foregoing object, the first aspect of an electronically controlled sample warper of the present invention comprises: a warper drum; a plurality of yarn introduction means each mounted to a side surface of the warper drum for winding a yarn on the warper drum; a plurality of yarn selection guides arranged in one end portion of a base for supporting the warper drum in correspondence to the yarn introduction means, each the yarn selection guide being pivotally moved to protrude to a yarn exchanging position when a yarn is exchanged and pivotally moved to retract to a standby position when a yarn is stored; a rotary creel supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound, the rotary creel being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the plurality of yarn selection guides; and a bobbin station supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound in a standby state, wherein yarns are passed between the yarn introduction means and the yarn selection guides as well as the bobbins are passed between the rotary creel and the bobbin station such that the bobbin for a yarn held by the yarn introduction means and wound on the warper drum is supported on the rotary creel while the bobbin for a yarn stored in the yarn selection guide is supported by the bobbin station in a standby state, so that the yarns are exchanged according to the preset yarn order to be wound on the warper drum.
The second aspect of an electronically controlled sample warper of the present invention comprises: a warper drum; a plurality of yarn introduction means each mounted to a side surface of the warper drum for winding a yarn on the warper drum; a plurality of yarn selection guides arranged in one end portion of a base for supporting the warper drum in correspondence to the yarn introduction means, each the yarn selection guide being pivotally moved to protrude to a yarn exchanging position when a yarn is exchanged and pivotally moved to retract to a standby position when a yarn is stored; and a rotary creel supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound, the rotary creel being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the plurality of yarn selection guides, wherein yarns are passed between the yarn introduction means and the yarn selection guides, so that the yarns are exchanged according to the preset yarn order to be wound on the warper drum.
A rotary creel assembly of the present invention comprises: a rotary creel supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound, the rotary creel being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the plurality of yarn selection guides; and a bobbin station supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound in a standby state.
A warping method of the present invention, using an electronically controlled sample warper having: a warper drum; a plurality of yarn introduction means each mounted to a side surface of a warper drum for winding a yarn on the warper drum; a rotary creel supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound, the rotary creel being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the plurality of yarn selection guides; and a bobbin station supporting a plurality of bobbins around which different kinds and/or the same kind of yarns are wound in a standby state, wherein the bobbins are passed between the rotary creel and the bobbin station such that the bobbin for a yarn held by the yarn introduction means and wound on the warper drum is supported by the rotary creel while the bobbin for a yarn stored in the yarn selection guide is supported by the bobbin station in a standby state, so that the yarns are exchanged according to the preset yarn order to be wound on the warper drum.